Learning the Language

As the numbers of ELL students swell at public schools across Maryland, Delmarva officials reach out to make them feel comfortable

3:24 AM,
Jun. 16, 2013

The Rev. Dong Yung Kim, right, pastor of The Korean Presbyterian Church of Salisbury, shows Wicomico County School Superintendent John Fredericksen how to translate The English language into Korean. Fredericksen will be sending out his phone messages in three languages this year.

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This summer, John Fredericksen gets schooled on speech basics. In Korean.

The superintendent of schools in Wicomico County doesn't expect to emerge with the skills of a professional interpreter. He's not trying to rival an expert translator, capable of scripting English-written documents in a language other than his own.

He wants to verbally connect with the growing number of students of Korean heritage and their family members whose English-speaking skills are limited. The students are just one demographic of English Language Learners, or ELL, swelling enrollment numbers at public ...